Blood, Sweat and Gears Century - the toughest ride I have ever done

Yesterday I rode the Blood, Sweat and Gears Century ride from lovely Valle Cruces, NC. Billed as a 'strenuous century ride' it was by far the hardest ride I have completed.

This was my third ever century, all of them completed this year. My first was in April in Charleston on a fairly flat route which I rode in 5:08:09 for the 103.52 miles. This gave me the confidence to tackle my second, the San Diego Century in May, a much hillier course, which I completed in 7:08:31 for its 105 mile route. Total climbing was just under 6,000 ft for the ride.

So brimming with confidence I took on the Blood, Sweat and Gears course. This race/ride is extremely popular and all 750 spots for the century were sold in less than 7 hours. We started in damp, foggy conditions and the start was a zoo! 750 riders all bunched up trying to get through the chute and over the timing mats. Unscathed I got underway, the first 4 miles were easy, gently rolling hills then we had our first significant climb, a 6 mile ascent up Shulls Mill Rd which really got me warmed up . The next 15 miles were quite hilly and I registered just over 3,000 ft at the first rest stop at mile 25, so far so good. The next 32 miles were a mix of hills and some flats and by mile 57 I had registered over 6,100 ft of climbing. Then the ride really got hilly!!

First up was the 5 mile ascent up snake mountain. The first 4 miles were fairly easy but the last mile was brutal with long stretches of 18-20% grade! I saw dozens of cyclists walking up the hill. I'm very proud that I made it, even though I was barely averaging 3mph up to the summit! After a fun downhill the next 20 miles were fairly uneventful but quite beautiful. Next up was the ascent up George's Gap, a long , steep, winding road that was very tough coming after an already grueling 82 miles. Somehow I made it up George's and two more climbs and finally crossed the finish line.

My official chip time was 7:08:19 for 100.27 miles and 12,434 ft of climbing. I was exhausted but elated and enjoyed a fine celebration that night

Amazingly, the race winner's time was 4:52:20, to average over 20mph on that course is just incredible!!

Wow, so you did a century with double the climbing (6k vs 12k) in the same amount of time, that's nice!

I know it's crazy and actually it's even crazier! My BSG time was my total time and my San Diego time was just my riding time, my total time was about 8:40. I lost about 1hr 15min due to a broken spoke and when I got back on my bike my leg muscles were tight and I felt sluggish. Also the last 40 miles of that ride although fairly flat were directly into a 25-30mph wind which made it feel like I was still climbing .

Great job! I have yet to really get into any serious hills. Around my house, it's mostly 5-10%. Something I'll be working on. Wow, 12,434 ft of climb.. you should be proud!

Nigel, keep working on it and you will conquer any mountain. I've been riding for less than 2 years but I have learned a lot from the folks on this board and especially Mr. Beanz about climbing. It is amazing how your body can adapt and strengthen and your mind can overcome the fear of even the biggest grades.

Blimey! That looks like another tough ride and in the middle of August it will be rather hot. I'd consider it but I will be in southern France for 4 months, cycling all over Provence and especially up Mt. Ventoux